


Insomnia

by cmorgana



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 11:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7975543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmorgana/pseuds/cmorgana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aramis is already up and Athos doesn't want to sleep. Truths whispered in the night and weaknesses allowed only between the two of them. <br/>Aka "one night in the life of" somewhere at the beginning of season 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> So, an italian girl walks into a bar....ops, sorry, wrong story. Once upon a time an italian girl was just bored and half asleep on her couch, when a scene involving Athos and Aramis came to her mind. She ignored it and slept with her cat on the stomach. Except hours later that scene still was in her head, floating around and keeping her from writing what she should really write, what she should have written two weeks ago...but that's another story again. So in the end the italian girl wrote that story and, even if she wasn't sure it made sense, thanks to the super precious work of [cordelia69](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Cordelia69/pseuds/Cordelia69) , who bravely fought terrible grammar, verbs attacking her and commas sneaking into her to scare her away, in the end the girl gave up and published it. 
> 
> Just to be clear, the messes are mine, not even a brave warrior as [cordelia69](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Cordelia69/pseuds/Cordelia69) could have won over them. Actually I think that note is better than the fic, but whatever, you're used to my works by now, so you already know what to expect.

Attracted by the light, Aramis gently knocks at the door, getting in at the low grunt of consent.

Athos is at his desk, stacks of papers all around him, some obviously scribbled in his handwriting, other smudged in ink, the same ink staining Athos' hands and face where he must have rubbed it. He doesn’t' even gets his head up, knowing the knock and the footsteps as if they are his own, but he raises it when Aramis steps around him and starts to knead his shoulders, sighing at the almost painful but relaxing touch. 

"It's almost dawn. I'm sure these documents can wait until tomorrow. You look like a wreck, Athos", Aramis states, and Athos sighs again at the obvious remark, but promptly closes his eyes to relish the full effect of the massage. 

"You're up too", he says back a second later, with a tiny, victorious, smirk on his lips, and Aramis laughs.

"Except I'm already up, not still. Morning prayers, they messed up with my old routine. I'll try and catch some sleep later if no one decides to try and kill the Queen or to make a coup against the King".

Athos laughs at the accurate description of most of their usual days, history changing facts that are nothing more than another barely remembered fight to them.

"See? Unless some mysterious sibling will kidnap the Dauphin, I'll sleep later too, once I'm done with my papers", Athos tries to give the stupid documents some importance, even knowing Aramis has always been able to call his bluffs.

"As if you ever cared for this kind of stuff. But I'm sure Treville will be pretty proud of you when you'll give him a stack of files to burn in his fireplace", Aramis shots back as expected, and before Athos can play his captain, minister and important stuffs cards, he's leaning in, arms around his neck, mouth close to his ear, "Why you don't want to sleep, Athos?" Aramis whispers softly, lips brushing the shell of his ear, enough sweetness in his voice to break into Athos' defenses. 

Aramis has always been the one known to break into Athos vulnerabilities with easiness, and he's never been scared to use that power when Athos closes up into himself, protecting him from his own mind as much as from some enemy's sword. 

"I missed you, Aramis. I was happy that you followed your heart, I truly was, but I missed you more than I can say and I had to fake every single day not to show how much to the others, to keep them strong", Athos confesses in the silence, reaching for Aramis hand now laying on his chest, eyes still closed to make the admission more of a private thing whispered to himself rather than to the involved person.

Aramis smiles, kissing his temple, dry lips lingering for a few seconds against the slightly sweated skin. 

"I know. I know and I'm sorry I left you", he offers, feeling like it's not even barely close enough to what he should say to Athos, to what he feels. 

But that night isn't about that, about them, about the past, Athos too exhausted to think clearly about something so huge. 

Aramis moves, kneeling down near Athos' chair and the man turns toward him a second later, as in a good choreographed dance.

"So, why aren't you sleeping?" Aramis asks again, bending his neck to rest his face against Athos knee, looking up at him through his lashes. Athos brushes away his hair, tenderly, before he speaks again. 

"It's nothing, I'll just do it, if it's so important to you", he tries, still knowing Aramis won't let the topic fall so quickly. He smiles a second later, when he proves right about his friend stubbornness.

"Don't lie, Athos. What is it? You know you can tell anything to me", Aramis insists, throwing him a low blow, the trust in the bond between them, before he gets his head up just to replace it with both hands on Athos' legs, mind already running to guess a few reasons his brother could have.

"It's…" Athos starts, uncertain. He looks down at Aramis, looks away, then closes his eyes once more, "nightmares. It's nightmares. Apparently they waited for me to get back from war, to the place where I feel safe, to attack. Worse than any evil enemy I've faced before. The moments I relive when asleep… I rather not sleep at all than to see those days again, than to smell the stench of blood and rotting corpses, than seeing the desperate faces of my men. Than to look into Porthos eyes and read only fear in them. Our Porthos, always so…" he stops mid sentence, unable to tell out loud more about those days, about the terror in their best friend gaze and the desperation in d'Artagnan's. Aramis hasn't been there, he's been blessed with not living the worst, he isn't going to really tell him the full extent of that. 

"You know, you should talk about that, really talk about it. If not to me to Porthos or d'Artagnan, even to Treville if you don't want to bring terrible memories back to them", but Athos shakes his head no before he leans down to rest his forehead against Aramis'.

"There are things better left untold. I'd just want to be able to…"

"Sleep", Aramis finishes for him, caressing his cheek, "the only thing you need right now is to rest while your mind is at ease and your body safe."

"So we're talking about magic now" Athos quickly shoots back with a sarcastic smile. 

"Then we're lucky I know more than a few magic tricks", ignoring Athos dark sarcasm, as always, Aramis gives him a very dirty smirk, obviously faked, then gets up, pulling Athos with him. 

"Do they involve colorful sparks, a magic word or just rope and blindfolds?" Athos inquires again, face slightly annoyed but deep down relieved by the sheer presence of Aramis in that room, trying to distract him from thoughts dark enough to keep him up all week. 

"Actually, right now, they involve taking your pants and shirt off", the sentence slips from Aramis lips before he can realize the implications and suddenly Athos' face turned into one of confused shock. An happy shock, that days long gone, a separation and a war in between, but still missed by both of them. 

"We're not going to talk about that tonight" Aramis corrects both their brains before they can go to places they shouldn't, "soon, I promise, I miss that, you, too. But today I only need you rested and relaxed, so take off your clothes *for bed*, because we're going to sleep." Aramis clarifies, almost smiling at Athos spontaneous pout. Still the man obeys without hesitation, an easy victory that lets him know exactly how exhausted Athos must really be. 

Aramis quickly discards his own clothes, leaving them scattered on the floor, then, as soon as Athos is reluctantly down to his smallclothes, he takes his hand, dragging him toward the bed. 

They get in quietly, not a word or a breath shared, both lost, scared, hopeful, and the moment they're under the covers, their bodies adjust of their own accord, Aramis spoons around Athos, safely holding him to his chest, Athos hands on the arms around his chest, almost as to make sure Aramis won't let him go. Not that there's even a tiny possibility that he's going to. 

"It's just us, Athos. There can't be war in your mind, because we swore a long time ago that there's only us once we get into bed, remember?" Athos slowly nods, sighing deeply to release some of the tension, "I'm here to protect you. I'll wake you from your nightmares and I'll hold you to keep away the fear", Aramis keeps saying, in the shushing voice that he has used at the monastery with the kids, something that usually would make Athos indignant, but not that night. 

He gently strokes Athos' skin while his lips brush the side of the captain's neck.

"Just close your eyes and sleep. You are home now, and I'm at home with you. Nothing bad can happen when we're together", he whispers, still treating him like a child, using all his power to calm him down, to make him forget he's a musketeer, a soldier, a captain. 

"I still love you, Aramis", Athos confesses out of the blue, a whisper in a broken voice, like if that admission alone has just taken the last of his force. 

"Me too. I never stopped to love you. But that's for another moment, now you just need to feel how invincible we're together and close your eyes", and Athos does. He doesn't feel vulnerable in Aramis' arms, he feels strong, ready to fight for him, for them, a new kind of force and braveness, "yes, like that, sleep. Goodnight my Athos", Aramis coaxes him in a low whisper, thumb still stroking his skin, breath against his neck. 

"It will be morning in a few hours", Athos objects, voice already faint, a yawn almost robbing him of the worry about sharing a bed with Aramis so close to dawn.

"I know, and don't worry, I left a note to Clairmont not to wake you up, that d'Artagnan will be the Captain for today, and stay assured him or Constance will cover us with some great excuse."

"Our young d'Artagnan has outgrown us for a while now", Athos comments, words even more slurred.

"Then we can just leave him the title of Captain and I can have you here with me all the time. Forever."

"I've known you for so long, still this sounds like the first smart plan you ever had", Athos teases before falling asleep, the last thing he feels the huff of air of Aramis' laugh against his neck.


End file.
